The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-03-16

in q buggy; it's just enchantment. Any
letter COR me, Aunt EllenY Any news?"
"Oh dear-yes-too much. didn't
write you because L didn't want to
sadden your vacation. And you and
Aleck were always such friends"
"Aleckl"
ayes. The Aabatross has been lost
at sea, and the Fawnshaws are Just
heart broken, and Louise is there with
them; it seems she was engaged to
Aleck privately; and her widows
weeds are very becoming. It's n
dreadful, dreadful thing tor her; but
they say the Squire has about the
same as adopted her, and that she'll
have the lions share OF Aleck 8 money.
She went in on the Squires own
arm when the funeral sermon was
preached; it was very touching. Why
don't you say something, Betty?
always thought you and Aleck were
good friends; and Louise"
"What is there to say?" Betty ask
ed, directly. There was luster in
her eyes, but she was not crying; she
looked petriiied.
you might at least say you were
sorry"
Sorry? Oh yes"-absently-m
suppose so"
"Why, Betty, haven't you any feel
ing?"
81 don't know. Perhaps not. What
good would it do?"
"Aleck was such n good friend to
youl DO you remember when he used
to come and help you with your Ger
man? used to think he was little
in love with you. Bet ", but it seems
| was mistaken and for the matter OF
that, it doesn't signify, now that he is
dead. Indeed, it's better for you as it
is; you are spared the sorrow. Why,
Betty are you sick? Is anything the
NATTER"
Betty mad risen with great cry, and
was stretching out unavailing arms
into space. ale is dead-Aleck-and
he loved her. and she has n right to
her sorrow; and II
1t was three months before Betty
lie Breton was able to sit up. The
neighbors said she had come from the
mountains with malaria, and it was
doubtful ii 1t would ever get it out OF
her system. Miss lie Breton, her aunt,
wisely said nothing; but when she saw
Louise in herfunereal garments driving
by in Squire Fanshaw's carriage, she
wondered ii Betty were not far more
miserable. Betty herself wondered why
she did not die in that bitter season
OF despair. There seemed to he moth.
ing to datain her here; life had come
to u standstill. 1t wasno that Alrck
had died; she could have borne TINT,
perhaps, and sorrowed bravely, and
yet have lived on That would have
been grief enough, to be sure, for one
heart to bear; but she would still have
possessed the tender assurance of his
love to compensate her. She would
not have lost him utterly; she could
have lived on, with the certainty OF
meeting him unchanged Mt last, just
rs she had existed through her te-
dious wor6-h-days, sure of his com.
panlonship at their close-the one
brightness in all her sombre days,
the hours that were never absent
from her thoughts, the hope that had
carried her through all difficulties un.
complainingly. Now there was moth
ing for her to live for or to die for. 1t
seemed to her that the bloom was
stripped from the world. She could
not reconcile herself to her changed
condition, nor adjust herself to the
belief that Aleck had cared nothing
for her through all the years that had
been to her like heaven on earth
that he had merely been passing the
time. She felt rs ii the solid earth
had failed beneath her feet, and her
life stretched out before her in dreary
and barren perspective. II she could
only be allowed to preserve the illu-
sion that he loved her, wherever
he might be, that would have
suiliced for happiness, would have
gilded all the empty years she must
spend on earth without the sun OF his
presence. But people do not die
when they have nothing to live for.
Betty's aunt trusted to time to miti-
gate the blow; she remembered that
she had herself once had lover who
deserted her; she had cried her eyes
out, and had given away all her jewel
ny, and believed she was done with
everything; but ten years later he
passed her window daily, "a bald, equity
man from whom theglamour had fled.
But she had forgotten that he had
robbed her OF the power OF loving any
one else. and that other lovers
had sighed in vain. When
Betty first went out, and began to
resume her ordinary life as il nothing
had hppened, the Squlre's family had
gone abroad, and had taken Louise
Turner with them to tighten the shad-
ow of their grief; and n stone in the
Squires lot in the cemetery recorded
the fact that Aleck Fanshawe had